How to Make a Kids Reward Chart in 7 Simple Steps

A reward chart is a simple idea that goes wrong in simple ways. The tasks are too many, the rewards are too far away, or the chart ends up in a drawer by Thursday. This page shows how to build one in seven steps, with a sample you can copy and a few fixes for when it stalls.

Step 1: Pick two to four tasks

Start with a short list. For preschoolers, 2 to 3 daily tasks is plenty, and for school-age children 3 to 4. A child who sees eight rows will not try row one.

Choose tasks that are specific, observable and doable alone. "Get ready for bed" is fuzzy. "Pajamas on, teeth brushed, clothes in the hamper" is a task list. If you need ideas, our chore list for kids sorts jobs by age, and as a rough guide, ages 2 to 3 handle putting toys in a bin and clothes in the hamper, ages 4 to 5 make the bed roughly and clear their own place, and ages 6 to 7 pack the school bag and tidy their room.

Pick one hard habit and two easy wins. The easy wins build momentum while the hard one develops.

Step 2: Choose the format

The best format is the one your child will look at. Common options:

For more ways to lay it out, see our roundup of chore chart ideas for kids. If your child can't read yet, use pictures: a toothbrush, a bed, a bag.

Step 3: Draw the grid

The standard layout is tasks down the left and days across the top.

1. Rule seven columns for Monday through Sunday, plus one for the task name.
2. Write each task in its own row, one to three words each, with a small picture beside it.
3. Leave a row at the bottom for a total.
4. Leave a space at the top for the child's name and the week's goal.

Use big boxes. A 4-year-old's sticker is a blob, and the box should hold it.

Step 4: Decide what a check is worth

A chart without points is a record. With points, it is a plan. Use the standard scale:

For a young child, you can skip numbers and make each sticker worth one point, then count them on Sunday. Older kids can handle different values for different jobs.

Step 5: Write a reward menu

Put the menu next to the chart so the goal is always in view. Three tiers work for most families:

Check the math. If your child earns 15 to 20 points a day, they can afford a small reward every 2 to 3 days and a big one every 3 to 4 weeks. Let them choose from the menu, and ask for their ideas when you write it.

Step 6: Launch it with a short conversation

A chart that appears on the fridge without warning looks like a trap. Spend five minutes explaining it:

• "These are the jobs for this week."
• "Every time you finish one, you get a check."
• "Checks turn into points, and points buy things from this list."
• "We'll look at it together every Sunday."

Hang it at the child's eye level, near where the tasks happen. A bedroom chart works for bedtime tasks, and a kitchen one for after-dinner jobs.

Mark the check right away, in front of them. Delayed rewards lose most of their effect with young kids, and a sticker added the next morning feels like homework.

Step 7: Review weekly and adjust

Every week, spend two minutes on the chart. What got done? What got skipped? If a task is skipped half the time, it is too hard, too vague or at the wrong time of day. Fix the task, not the child.

When a habit sticks, which usually takes a few weeks, retire the row and add a new one. Give any new routine 2 to 3 weeks before you judge it. Our piece on chore charts that actually work lists nine rules for keeping one alive.

A sample week

Here is a chart for a 5-year-old. See the reward chart for a 5-year-old for more ideas at that age.

The total here is 89 points: 6 beds, 6 places, 5 toy pickups and 2 bonuses. That buys two small rewards, or gets the child close to a 100-point movie pick. Notice that Wednesday and Thursday have gaps. A chart with every box checked would be suspicious.

What to do when the chart stalls

Most charts stall in week three. Common causes and fixes:

1. The chart is out of sight. Move it to where the tasks happen.
2. You forgot to hand out points. Set a daily alarm for a two-minute check.
3. The rewards are stale. Rewrite the menu with your child.
4. Too many tasks. Cut back to two and rebuild.

Avoid removing earned points as punishment. A chart should reward what happens, never threaten.

Replacing paper with Famiyo

Famiyo is a free family app for iPhone and Android that combines a shared family calendar, chores with points and a rewards shop; kids join with a code, no email needed. It does the chart's work for you. You add each chore, give it points and make it repeat daily or weekly, and each child checks it off on their own phone while you approve it or let them check it off themselves. Everyone's phone updates live, and you get a notification when a chore is done. Today's view shows every child's tasks and points at a glance. For other options, see our ranking of the best chore chart apps.

Start tonight with two tasks, one grid and a sticker sheet, and look at it together on Sunday.